To boldly go where no recall has gone before.

From an episode of Star Trek-DS9, I recall the words of Odo to Quark, after the Ferengi said his Rom brother fixed something.

"Rom is an idiot. He couldn't fix a straw if it were bent."

Back flip a few hundred years and we see a formerly great symbol of American industrial might and vision, Government Motors. After wasting billions in an over glorified golf cart, with billions more in tax subsidies backing the boondoggle up, they have sold 6000 units nationwide. And now because they are a possible fire risk, they are coming back.

GM willing to buy back Volts

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- General Motors will buy Chevrolet Volts back from any owner who is afraid the electric cars will catch fire, the company's CEO said Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, CEO Dan Akerson insisted that the cars are safe, but said the company will purchase the Volts because it wants to keep customers happy. Three fires have broken out in Volts after side-impact crash tests done by the federal government.

Akerson said that if necessary, GM will recall the more than 6,000 Volts now on the road in the U.S. and repair them once the company and federal safety regulators figure out what caused the fires.

"If we find that is the solution, we will retrofit every one of them," Akerson said. "We'll make it right."

The fires happened seven days to three weeks after tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And GM has said there's no threat of fires immediately after crashes. GM also has said that no Volts involved in real-world crashes have caught fire.

Still, NHTSA has opened an investigation into the fires and has asked other companies that make electric cars for battery testing data. NHTSA said the safety testing hasn't raised concerns about electric vehicles other than the Volt.

"The fire broke out seven days later. Not seven minutes. Not seven seconds," Akerson said, adding that the company wants to fix the problem so people continue to have faith in Volts and other advanced technology cars. The company is notified of any Volt crash through its OnStar safety system and dispatches a team with 48 hours to drain the battery, preventing fires, he said.

"I think in the interest of General Motors, the industry, the electrification of the car, it's best to get it right now than when you have - instead of 6,000 - 60,000 or 600,000 cars on the road," he said...

You may be interested in electrification of the car but the car buying public is not you moron. In case you haven't realized that without them you will not recoup your losses (God forbid make a profit) on this crap. You are squandering your resources on a one of the greatest waste of money every in the history of American capitalism. And do you think your gravy train from DC will continue forever. At some point conservatives will cut you off and you will have to produce things that sell to the general public.

Gee, what a concept. Building things that the public wants to buy, selling it at a price the public is willing to pay so you make money and the public feels like they have not be squandered. Maybe you should look into that Mr. Akerson.

...Earlier this week GM offered loaner cars to all Volt owners until the cause of the fires is found and fixed. So far, Akerson said 16 Volt owners have inquired and only two have taken the loaners.

6000 cars sold nationwide in two years with a five digit federal tax credit. That's an average of 120 cars a state in two years. Sixty cars per year per state for two years. Now there s a serious safty hazard. And you wonder if this piece of s@#$ is viable.

UPDATE: From this morning's Hotair, their take on this issue and marketing

The reputation of the Chevy Volt – part of the next generation of “green” vehicles – has come under fire (sorry) under increasing scrutiny since a few of them burst into flames recently. At the center of the controversy are the huge lithium-ion batteries, manufactured in Korea, which may be subject to some incendiary events which are making consumers nervous...

...A smart move on the part of GM, clearly. To be successful in marketing you need to be sensitive to what options consumers want and are willing to pay for, as well as identifying features which are less popular. Cars prone to suddenly turning into a human size barbeque grill, according to recent customer satisfaction surveys, clearly fall into the latter category.